Lock.



E. B. STONE.

LOOK. APPLICATION mum MAY 29, 1911.

1,01 8,21 6. I Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

WITNESSES: I 11v ENTo-k.

A ORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER B. STONE, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE CORBIN CABINET LOCK COMPANY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 29, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

Serial No. 630,091.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ELMER B. STONE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Britain, county of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Look, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more especially to that class of locks in which the movable members are fitted for movement in recesses, and the object of my invention is to provide a lock of this class in which the parts shall not be so afiected by climatic or other conditions as to render them inoperative or to cause them to move with difliculty.

One form of lock embodying my invention, and in the use of which the object hereinabove set out as well as others may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a View in side elevation of a lock embodying my invention, with parts broken away to show construction. Fig. 2 is a view in section through the lock on plane denoted by dotted line 22 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a view in section on plane denoted by dotted line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a view in section on plane denoted by dotted line 44; of Fig. 1.

The eifect of the combined action of the natural elements and the ingredients forming the composition of metals commonly used in the construction of locks and alsoof surrounding structures is such as to produce a deposit upon the metal, and this is particularly true in cases where the atmosphere contains more or less salt. Locks of well known construction, and more especially padlocks, in which the movable members are fitted to move in recesses provided for their reception, when subject to the action of such formation soon become inoperative, for the reason that the deposit above referred to fills up the narrow spaces between the movable members and the walls of their recesses, causing the parts to adhere one to the other, so that said members may not be moved without the application of extreme force. This is particularly true of locks in use upon vessels traversing salt water, and it thus becomes desirable to provide a lock which shall not be subject to these conditions.

A look embodying my invention and illustrated and described herein embodies features which will avoid the objections above referred to, the numeral 6 denoting a lock case of common construction having a shackle recess 7, a keeper recess 8, a bolt recess- 9, a cylinder recess 10 and tumbler recesses 11. In locks heretofore constructed the movable members are made of the same general shape as the recesses formed to contain them and to quite closely fit within said recesses, the latter being commonly round in cross section and the members round and of approximately the same size, so that each movable member has a bearing about its entire cylindrical surface. In carrying out my invention this bearing surface is reduced in a special manner, the invention being more broadly claimed in an application filed by me, the oath of which bears even date of the oath herein.

In a construct-ion of device embodying the invention the walls of the recesses are so formed that a number of bearing surfaces of very little area for the movable member is provided, that is bearings extremely narrow and of considerable length or of little length and width, and these bearings may be produced in different ways upon different members or in a similar way upon all members, and it will be understood that any of the forms for producing these bearings shown as applied to any one member may be applied with equal advantage to any or all of the other members shown herein.

The cylinder recess-10 is provided with grooves 13 extending about the wall of the recess for the cylinder 12, these grooves extending preferably in a spiral direction, the ridges 14: between the grooves forming narrow bearing surfaces, and the incline of these ridges being such that when the cylinder is given a quarter turn the whole outer surface of the cylinder will have been swept by these ridges. The shackle recess 7 for the long leg 16 has narrow bearing surfaces 15 formed on its inner wall, the shape being hexagonal, as shown herein, and the bearing surfaces extending lengthwise in the recess, and the recess for the short leg 17 is formed of the same general shape. This construction of the cylinder recess and the recesses for the shackle legs with narrow bearing parts enables the deposit hereinabove referred to to get little hold and requires the expenditure of but little force to move the parts even when the deposit has collected between the bearing surfaces, and in the regular operation of the parts this deposit will be worn off in the form of powder which will readily move through the grooves or spaces formed by the bearing ridges and which grooves form a release for this powdered material. Likewise the recesses 11 for the tumblers 18 and the bolt recess 9 for the bolt 19 are formed of the same shape in cross section as the legs of the shackle, the action of these parts being the same, and each movable member of the lock is thus provided with means to prevent this accumulation of deposit and consequent sticking of parts. The bottom of the shackle recess 7 has a small opening 20 through which the powdered deposit may sift to thus release the parts, and likewise an opening 21 is formed through the bottom of the bolt recess 9.

I have shown and described herein several methods of producing these bearing surfaces on different parts and I contemplate that any of these methods may be employed for any of the parts or the construction otherwise changed without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention.

I claim 1. A lock case having a recess, lock mechanism located within the case and including a member located and movable within said recess in the normal operation of said lock mechanism, the surface of said recess being formed to provide a number of small hearing surfaces for the movable member against the wall of said recess to prevent the member from becoming inoperative by reason of corrosion.

2. A lock case having a recess, lock mechanism located within the case and including a member located and movable in said recess in the normal operation of said lock mechanism, the wall of said recess being formed to provide a number of bearing ridges extending parallel with each other to form a bearing for said movable member to pre vent said member from becoming inoperative by reason of corrosion.

3. A lock case having a recess for a movable member, lock mechanism located within the case and including a member located and movable in said recess in the normal operation of said lock mechanism, the surface of said recess being formed to provide a bearing surface extending in a spiral direction around the wall of the recess forming a bearing for said movable member to prevent said member from becoming inoperative by reason of corrosion.

1. A lock including a containing part having a recess for a cylinder, the wall of said recess being formed to provide narrow bearing surfaces, and a cylinder constituting a part of the lock mechanism and located and movable in said recess in the normal operation of said lock mechanism and having a bearing against said surface to prevent said cylinder from becoming inoperative by reason of corrosion.

5. A lock including a containing part having a recess for a shackle, said recess being formed to provide narrow bearings for a shackle therein, and a shackle constituting a part of the lock mechanism and located and movable in said recess in the normal operation of said lock mechanism, said bearings preventing said shackle from becoming inoperative by reason of corrosion.

6. A lock including a containing part having a recess for a tumbler, the wall of said recess being formed to provide a number of bearing surfaces, and a tumbler constituting part of the lock mechanism and located and movable in said recess in the normal operation of said lock mechanism, and having a bearing against said surface topreventsaid tumblers from becoming inoperative by reason of corrosion.

7. A look including a containing part having a recess for a bolt, the wall of said recess being formed to provide a number of narrow bearing surfaces, and a bolt constituting part of the lock mechanism and located and movable in said recess in the normal operation of said lock mechanism and having a bearing against said narrow sur faces to prevent said bolt from becoming inoperative by reason of corrosion.

ELMER B. STONE.

WVitnesses:

J. H. MILLS, JOHN D. BLAIR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

